Weather: Thailand, Myanmar

Cradled by mountains to its east and west, Thailand manages to avoid the worst extremes a monsoon climate can dish out. Although it's decidedly moist here, sunshine is widespread, especially in winter, which is almost rain-free across the country. Even during summer, a given day has roughly even odds of staying dry, outside of the mountainous regions where showers and thunderstorms gather regularly. The higher elevations and latitude of northern Thailand and Myanmar allow for some cool spells from December into February, with lows typically dropping below 16°C/60°F and sometimes into the 5–10°C/41–50°F range, even cooler at elevation. Bangkok and the nearby delta experience hot afternoons year-round, with evenings a shade less humid in the winter. March and April bring torrid pre-monsoon heat not unlike India's. Further south, the Isthmus of Kra and points beyond are similar to Malaysia, with little temperature variation and rains on the east coast in winter and the west coast in summer. May through to October is the rainy season across the bulk of Thailand, with the heaviest weather focused in the late summer. Thanks to its sheltered location, Thailand only rarely experiences direct typhoon landfalls, but the remnants of systems crossing Vietnam and Laos may bring a spell of wind and rain.